Checking the mail can be a dismal task, but it was a bright, cool and sunny afternoon in Arizona, and with the knowledge that my credit card statement wouldn’t arrive for another week and a half, I had little to fear. I opened the mailbox. There, in a postal cubby sharing space with bills, advertisements and one late holiday card was a welcome package from Eternal Girl.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/EternalGirl/about?ref=announce
My necklace had arrived.
Both Rosannah and I couldn’t wait until we walked home to admire the piece. We stopped at a bench and opened the padded envelope. Inside was an adorable, hand-made box. We opened it and pulled out the pendant. The sunlight sparkled as we admired the crimson flower petal design encased in an airy, antique-finish, casing.
“It’s beautiful,” said Rosannah as I placed it around her neck. “It makes me feel happy.”
We took turns trying the necklace on and taking pictures of it for this review. I thought it was very mystical that I read that flowers in henna tradition represent joy and happiness and it was the one of the first things Rosannah said when the piece was placed around her neck. However, I, with many more years of skeptical thinking, felt the necklace had a calming, yet joyful, quality about it when I wore it.
I recently started taking yoga and yogalates (a combination of yoga and pilates) and I thought how perfect the piece would look as I struck my Tadasana pose or let it dangle while I attempted a cat-cow stretch. Although the brass, antique finish and intricate trim around the pendant casing gives the impression of heft, the piece is feather-light. The brilliant colors of the orchid almost seem to illuminate a happy, yet subdued quality that is a perfect complement to a novice yoga practitioner. Rather than other pieces of flashier jewelry I own, this Foxtail Orchid has a subdued, unaffected charm that seems to whisper fresh, wholesome and sunny.
However, I was curious what my Generation Y, daughter, Brittany, would think of the Foxtail Orchid.
“I really like it,” she replied when I asked for her assessment of the pendant. “It’s unique, has a really good clasp and is well-constructed. I appreciate something that is hand-crafted.”
Brittany has fashioned her own jewelry and has a keen eye for quality workmanship.
“This pendant looks like the unique type of jewelry you might discover while on travel,” she stated. “You can tell the artisan who created it put a lot of time and thought into it.”
Brittany went on to say that jewelry has a special meaning to her and the story or thought behind a piece speaks volumes more than the price tag.
“In our family I know that most of us may never have enough money to splurge on everything that glitters and shines, but I feel like it has been a blessing because it teaches us to focus on what is truly special.”
Brittany talked about how the thought of a gift spoke volumes more than the price tag. The Foxtail Orchid pendant also made her reflect on the role of jewelry in her life.
“Some of my favorite memories growing up were when cousin Ashley and I were playing dress up with grandma's scarves and jewelry. In my eyes, her bowling bracelet was on the same level as the Hope Diamond, and to this day I still don't know if the tiara ring I found was actually made of plastic for a Barbie, or if it really was a legitimate piece of jewelry. Regardless, I will always remember feeling like I was one of the royals even when it was draping ill-fittingly on my tiny little finger because of how treasured that piece really was. One of my favorite things about this necklace was the filigree on this piece. It reminds me of the vanity organizer
that I found at Goodwill while I was dropping off some donations. It may have only cost me a few dollars, but it reminds me every morning of the way I felt playing dress up, and makes me feel like a part of grandma is there with me. In the few short weeks that this necklace has been around, it has created a special moment that you were able to spend with your granddaughter, and a moment that helped me remember my grandmother, and that is something that I feel is worth noting.”
So there you have the assessment of Eternal Girl’s Foxtail Orchid pendant by three generations of the Marks family (four if you count Brittany’s memories of her grandmother.) There is no limit on what a person can spend their money on for themselves or others. This is especially true in jewelry. However, my advice is rather than going for an extravagant purchase that can cause a financial hardship, consider a gift that evokes a pleasant memory – as did the Foxtail Orchid pendant for me and my daughter, Brittany, and hopefully one day, my granddaughter, Rosannah.
Information about Eternal Girl
The henna-inspired creations are hand-drawn designs by Julia, the owner of Eternal Girl. View more designs here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/84838920@N07/sets/
Find new items, shop updates, and coupon codes on:
FB: www.facebook.com/eternalgirlshop
BLOG: http://juliaspuellaaeterna.blogspot.com
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